TRIPLE E TRAINING HOLDINGS

Adult Basic education and Training service providers must be fully accredited in order to provide employers with the assurance that any program put in place to raise the literacy and numeracy skills of the workforce will be effective. Without accreditation any qualification in line with NQF requirements will not be valid and will not allow the employee to proceed to the next level of ABET training. It is thus the responsibility of the employer to ensure that any service provider is registered with the correct government agency or department and that the training that they provide is in line with industry best practices.

The idea that reading, writing and arithmetic are the foundations of any educational system have been around for centuries. Without these foundations further education is impossible. In fact a lack of these skills will prevent the individual from reaching their true potential. If a country is largely illiterate it will be stuck in the third world until there is a drastic intervention. Although the rate of illiteracy in South Africa is estimated at around 8% the impact of the problem is felt on a variety of levels, both economic and social. This why the current roll out of Adult Basic education and Training programs across the country is absolutely essential.

One of the most exciting discoveries for any child is when the signs at the road start to make sense and when the time comes for Daddy to stop reading the bedtime story and for the child to begin exploring the wonderful world of the printed word. However for many people in South Africa that day never came. The 3.3. million illiterate people of South Africa are the legacy of the Apartheid educational system. However this is changing due to the actions of some dedicated educators who are helping government and business roll out Adult basic education and Training programs across the country.

Adult basic Education and Training service providers are being accredited at an ever increasing rate due to the commitment of both business and government to providing every citizen of South Africa with the tools to be able to enjoy a high quality of life. By providing adults with literacy and numeracy skills ABET programs allow them to take their place in the mainstream of society. Without these skills these adults are limited in the choices that they can make, both within the economic sphere and within social situations. By eliminating illiteracy ABET programs are making the dream of a real rainbow nation a reality.

An education is something that no one can ever take away from you. Once you have learned the rudiments of reading and writing the world is your oyster, with the basics you can read further, improving your education. You can achieve almost anything you desire once you have the mental tools at your disposal. Unfortunately for the estimated 3.3 million illiterate people in South Africa they simply do not have these tools. However this is changing due to the fact that Adult basic education and Training programs are being rolled out across the country and are today benefiting 100’s of thousands of people.

The South African constitution frames several rights that cannot be denied to any South Africa, perhaps one of the most important of these rights is the right to an education. Without an education one is relegated to the fringes of society and doomed to a life of menial labour. Unfortunately this right has only been recognised as universal since South Africa became a democratic country. For decades before this most of the population received an education that was woefully inadequate. This has led to widespread illiteracy. Today ABET programs are rectifying the mistakes of the past and allowing the previously disenfranchised a new outlook.

South Africa has an estimated 3.3 million illiterate adults. A percentage of the population that is far too high for a country that is striving to overcome decades of social and educational injustice. If this situation is allowed to continue the attitudes of this portion of the population will inevitably impact the young learners of today. For this reason Adult Basic Education and Training programs are being rolled out aggressively not only in urban centres throughout the country, but in rural areas where the problem has traditionally been even worse. Both business and government have shown their commitment to the ABET concept and this is today showing dividends in an increasingly literate populace.

Adult Basic Education and Training is changing the face of South African society by replacing ignorance with knowledge. This is important not only because of its ramifications for business but also in its knock on effects for the wider society. An educated populace is much more likely to actively engage in nation building and much less likely to engage in activities that are detrimental to the nation as a whole, such as criminal activity. By bringing a basic knowledge of reading, writing and arithmetic to the previously disadvantaged ABET programs are changing South Africa into a better, more socially conscious country.

Education is enshrined in the South African constitution as a basic human right. Unfortunately this was not always so. Under the Apartheid educational system only a select few were provided a world class education and even this was skewed by the propaganda requirements of the government. However those who were not amongst the privileged few received either a sub standard education or none at all. This is the legacy that Adult Basic Education and Training is striving to eradicate. ABET programs are making a difference to the lives of people across South Africa. By bringing literacy to the dis empowered ABET programs are changing lives.

The role of Adult Basic Education and training in changing the economic destiny of South Africa should not be underestimated. As South Africa’s natural commodities grow scarcer and as the job of simply getting them out of the Earth becomes more costly and dangerous so the economic emphasis must change to one of a knowledge economy where the products are primarily value added (for example jewelry making) or the product of ideas (consultancy services). If this change is to be successful then South Africa needs an educated workforce. The various ABET programs being rolled out across South Africa are the first step in this direction.